Method of and means for making articles from celluloid and the like



April 11, 1933. w. MENDEL 1,903,530

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR MAKING ARTICLES FROM CELLULOID AND THE LIKEFiled Nov. 14, 1928 l/YVf/YfO/P- #74 L MM M10215;

Patented Apr. 11, 1933 UNITED STATES wmnlm MENDEL, or BEVERLY, NEWJERSEY.

mn'rnon or AND MEANS non MAKING An'rIcrns naom cELLnLoInANn THE LIKEApplication filed November14, 1928. Serial No. 319,280.

My invention relates to means for temporarily softening products ofcellulose, such as celluloid, cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, andsimilar materials, to permit them to'be shaped to form articles ofmanufacture; and particularly articles'formed from primarily planesheets. Y

It is the ordinary practice to soften such materials by immersion inwater heated above the boiling point. However, the means for effectingsuch softening by that method are cumbersome to manipulate and result indel-' eterious distortion of the materials. Therefore, it is the presentpractice to soften celluloid by immersing it in an aqueous solution ofacetone. However, altho the means for effecting such treatment aresimpler and more easily operated; such treatment not only causesdeleterious distortion of the celluloid, but renders the surface of thelatter extremely sticky, so that the celluloid is difficult tomanipulate and is marred by contact with any other substance while insuch softened sticky condition.

Therefore, it is the object and effect of my invention to provide meansfor softening such materials without deleterious distortion thereof andwithout rendering them sticky.

I have discovered that acetone, which almost instantly dissolvescelluloid immersed therein, may have such effect thereof limited andcontrolled by dilution of the acetone with any substance of the classknown chemically as solvents, provided that such diluent has nodeleterious effect upon the celluloid. For instance, such diluents maybe any highly volatile hydrocarbon, but preferably' carbontetrachloride. Altho gasoline and naphtha may be used in lieu of carbontetrachloride, the latter is preferable because it is not inflammable,like the hydrocarbons aforesaid. I

For instance, in forming fountain pen tubes from primarily plane sheetcelluloid, by the process disclosed in Letters Patent of the IlnitedStates No. 1,661,451 granted March 6, 1928 to John N. -Whit'ehouse'forImprovement in-method of and apparatus for making celluloid tubes;sheets of celuloid 1, .010 of an inch thick and M1112" in extent, suchas indicated in Fig. I herein,

are initially softened at their forward ends 2, to the extent indicatedby the dotted line 3- in Fig. I, by'successively laying each sheet, 1 tothat extent, upon'a steam table, or other" body, maintained at atemperatureof about 225 F., untilthe celluloid is raisedto'approximately that temperature. The sheet then stamped where thussoftened to form so a semi-cylindrical edge portion 5,as indicated inFig. II, to fit the cylindrical mandrel 6 to which it maybe cementedprelimi-' nary to rotating said mandrel and wrapping the sheet 1 in anevolute coil thereon, with its convolutions in contact. Such softeningoperation causes the sheet 1 to buckle at the region of the dotted line3fbecause of the expansion of the portion 2 thereof byheat, and suchdistortion of the sheet 1 interferes with the formation of the tube 7which is more or less corrugated at its inner surface 8, as indicated inFig. III. 5 In accordance with my process, the sheet 1 may have its endportion 2 dipped into'a. solution of ,fiveiper cent. acetone inninety-five per cent.'carbontetrachloride up to theline 3, with theeffect of softening the: web l to ed', to facilitate the softeningoperation;

That is to say, altho" celluloid of .025 inch thickness may beadequately softened'in the solution aforesaid containing but five percent. acetone; it is economical tof'use the stronger solution, becausethe latter effects the desired degreelof softening in less time.

It is characteristicofthe softening solu- T tions aforesaid that althothe celluloid- -is adequately softened thereby thruout its thickness,the surfacesof the celluloid which have been subjected to the action ofsuch solution are not sticky, but feel dry to the touch.

Altho my invention is exemplified as aforesaid by the use ofthesoftening solution upon plane sheets of celluloid, which are only partlydipped therein; of course, such sheets or other articles may be dippedin such a solution to any desired extent 7 and. for any desired lengthof time, according to the degreeof softening thereof required; or anycelluloid article may be otherwise subjected to the softening act-ion ofsuch a composition of acetone and hydrocarbon; for instance, by brushingor spraying such composition thereon. Moreover, the vapor from such acompositionof acetone and carbon tetrachloride has a softether, for'cellulose acetate. The latter is,

preferable to celluloid, in that it is noninfiammable and said solventsthereof may be dilutedwith carbon tetrachloride, or any other'fluidwhich has no deleterious effect upon the material to be softened.

Therefore, I do not desire to limit myself to theprecisedetails ofconstruction, arrangement, or method of procedure herein set forth, asit is obvious that various modifications may be 'madetherein withoutdeparting from theessential features of my invention, as defined in theappended claims. ..'I..'c1aim: 1 1. The method of softening celluloid,which consistsiin subjecting it tothe action of a composition includingacetone which has the capacity to penetrate and soften the celluloid,and an anhydrous diluent of the acetone which is miscible therewith buthas no such effect upon the celluloid; containing suchuaction until thecelluloid is softened, and terminating suchactionbefore the celluloidisdissolved in said composition. I 2.- A, method as in claim 1; whereinthe diluent is .a carbon compound.

'3. A methodas in claim l; wherein the diluent is a highly volatileliquid carbon compound.v I V -14. A-method as in claim 1; wherein thediluent is a noninflammable carbon, compound. f

5-. A method as in claim ,1; wherein the diIueZnt-iscarbOntetrachloride.

6.. The method of softening without dissolving a product of cellulose,which consists in subjecting it to the action of a fluid including asolvent of said product having the capacity to penetrate and soften saidproduct, and an anhydrous diluent of said solvent which has no sucheffect upon said product, continuing such action until the product ofcellulose is softened, and terminating such softened to'such an extentthat it may bereadily wrapped upona cylindrical mandrel of theapproximate diameter of the interior of the tube beingformed; Wrappingthe softened end of the web upon such a mandrel and evolutely windingthe other portions of said web in convolutions on said mandrel which arein contact with each other.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Burlington, NewJ ersey,

this thirty-first day of October, 1928.

WILLIAM CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,993,530. April 11, 1933.

WILLIAM MENDEL.

it is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2,line 52, claim 2, for "containing" read "continuing"; and that the saidLetters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the samemay conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 16th day of May, A. I). 1933.

M. J. Moore (Sea!) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

